Top Cities for Recent Grads

Recent graduates in search of it all -- the great job, the fabulous apartment and booming city life -- should go north.

According to a study by Gradspot.com, the site's list of Top Ten Cities for Recent Grads put Chicago, land of brutal winters and catsup-less hot dogs, at No. 1 -- thanks to its high quality of life, solid public transportation and cool architecture. Of course, the fact that it's affordable doesn't hurt either.

Compared to San Francisco, New York City and Boston (finishing at 2nd, 4th and 5th, respectively), Chicago had the lowest average rent for a one-bedroom apartment. Those rentals in the Windy City ran about $1,106 per month -- less than half of the average one-bedroom apartment in NYC.

While the list was dominated by the usual contenders, there were a few surprises.